Credit Monitoring: The Key to Reducing Credit Fraud Impact

Use daily credit monitoring to understand your credit score and what could lead to possible credit damage

As provided for by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers are entitled to request a credit report free of charge from each of the three national credit reporting agencies. (Certain states have also passed similar laws.) Sounds like a pretty good deal – until you think about how quickly damage to your credit report can occur. And how long it can take to repair your credit file.

What can damage credit? For starters, something legitimate, such as a missed payment. You might fail to notice a payment is due and all of a sudden you're more than 30 days behind – and your credit is damaged.

Or there can be an error. Perhaps a payment you made didn't get logged properly. Next thing you know, you're listed – incorrectly – as delinquent.

Or – worst yet – you could be the victim of identity theft or fraud. The later the activity is detected, the longer it takes to clear your credit record. In some cases, it can take up to two years!

Suddenly, the small monthly cost of credit monitoring seems like the smartest investment you've ever made.

Credit monitoring is the best way to make sure your credit report accurately reflects your true credit rating. So how do you monitor your credit on a daily basis?

IDENTITY GUARD^® - the leader in credit management services - is committed to helping consumers understand and protect their credit ratings. Our EXTRA CAUTION^SM service monitors all three major credit reporting agencies - Equifax^®, Experian^®and TransUnion^SM - to keep you apprised of your credit score and alert you promptly to potentially suspicious changes to your credit file - minimizing the risk of real damages occuring. It's a 3-3-3 credit profile - 3 credit reports, 3 credit scores, 3-bureau monitoring.

Plus, with EXTRA CAUTION^SM, you get daily surveillance of the Internet's "financial black markets", "back alley" chat rooms and news groups. Patented scanning technology helps ensure that your important financial information is not being compromised or "swapped" in sites frequented by identity thieves.

IDENTITY GUARD® also offers Credit Analyzer, an interactive, online tool that helps predict how certain actions - for example, applying for a mortgage - might affect your score.

Want even more help? IDENTITY GUARD® also has Credit Education Specialists to answer questions regarding your credit report and credit score.